Bloom
by WeDontSuffice
Summary: A dramatic, modernday twist on Sasuke's return. Rated T for sexual themes, drug content, alcohol use, and bitchiness :]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So it's been about a year since I've updated a story or posted anything new. I know the idea is a bit overused, but I've had this one lying around and I figured there couldn't be any harm in posting it. Definitely more of a feminine read, takes place the modern setting of god-knows-where, a little bit comedic at times. For the most part, I was just enjoying putting the Naruto characters in modern day situations. Comments are appreciated. Enjoy your read. SofiNadi**

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I groaned as I heard the all too familiar ringtone. It was "Lovestoned", which meant that it had to be Ino. Ino Yamanaka is my best friend…and worst enemy. We used to get along great. Well…when we were seven. But all that changed when I saw Him.

He was the most perfect creature I had ever laid eyes on. And to this day, I haven't looked away. He is the epitome of hot and the sole reason I exist. Sasuke Uchiha is a _god_. Well, anyway, the minute I found out that Ino liked him too, I knew that our friendship was basically over for good.

I was always the shy one, always the one that nobody noticed. Ino was the wild and crazy one, and still is to this day. But today, Ino has some real competition. Because Sakura Haruno is no longer the sweet, innocent little girl she used to be.

About two years ago, Sasuke left the city to do business with some hot-shot businessman called Orochimaru, and since then Ino and I have been inseparable. Without Sasuke in our lives, we get along pretty well and are good friends again. Well, as good of friends as rivals can be. I still don't trust her completely and I know she doesn't trust me. But we both put on a sweet smile and pretend just to make everyone happy.

"Hello?" I answered the phone, still groggy from lack of sleep. We had been at a party last night with some friends and I didn't hit the sack until five.

"Get up, Sakura," Ino said, "we're having brunch with the girls in an hour and then we're going shopping." I pushed my pink hair out of my eyes and squinted in the light coming through my balcony window.

"Since when?" I asked. As far as I was aware, I didn't have plans today.

"Last night," Ino sighed, "jeez, Haruno, how hammered were you? Tenten invited us along with Temari and Hinata, remember?" I only groaned again.

"Look," she said, "go take a shower, put on something cute, take some Advil and meet us at Miki's by eleven." I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. Ten o'clock!

"Whatever, ho," I said, "just don't let your thong ride too far up your ass." Ino laughed and I smiled at my own wit.

"Well, at least you're waking up," she said, "just don't be late or Temari will start PMSing big time. Love you." I snapped my phone closed and sat up in bed. I was still wearing my black dress from last night and I smelled like smoke and alcohol.

I dragged myself out of bed and over to my enormous bathroom. I found some Advil and quickly downed it with some water to help my major hangover. I really have to lay off the vodka.

I pulled my dress up over my head—with some difficulty, I might add—and stepped out of my underwear. I could have sworn I went to that party with a bra on. Whatever. I stepped into the shower, making it cold to help me wake up. I actually like cold showers and supposedly they close your pores to make the skin firmer.

As I washed my hair, I remembered something that someone had told me last night. I think it was Kiba. He mentioned something about…Sasuke? Something about him coming back to Konoha? I think that's what he said. I smiled to myself at the thought of having the one and only Sasuke Uchiha back in Konoha. It'd been awhile since he'd last seen me. Almost three years! I was twenty-two now and I certainly looked it. No more scrawny little Sakura. It had taken nearly six years but I had finally adapted the curves a woman should have. And Sasuke was no kid either. He was one hundred percent man, and the secret desire of just about every woman in Konoha. But it didn't matter. Sasuke was going to be _mine_.

When I finished showering, I quickly blow-dried my hair and gave myself soft waves with my curling iron. I walked over to my long walk-in closet and looked over all my clothes. Too many choices…

I finally decided on a simple blue wrap dress. It was a deep V-neck, so that it had some cleavage, and was sleeveless: simple but beautiful. I picked out a pair of white open-toed pumps and a matching white bag. I then applied a bit of mascara and golden shadow to my eyes and some sheer lipgloss and was out the door.

When I arrived at Miki's I saw that everyone else was already there. Temari was looking very unhappy, tapping her Manolos insistently, her arms folded across her chest. I made my way over to the table and Ino gave me a warning look.

"Sorry, I'm late," I said, feigning true sorrow, "I had a rough night."

"I'm sure you did," Temari said, her green eyes narrowing at me. Temari was not a person you wanted to mess with. Well, not a person _I_ wanted to mess with. She kind of comes off as a bitch, but she can be really sweet sometimes…when she's drunk.

"Well, I'm just glad you woke up in your own house," Ino said, lightening the mood a little, "you did wake up in your own house, didn't you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes," I said, "what are you, my mother?" Ino merely smirked.

"Well, I'm glad you came, Sakura," Tenten said, "I could use your shopping taste. You always look good. Where'd you get that dress?" I shrugged.

"What exactly are we shopping _for_?" Temari asked. Tenten sighed.

"I need a dress for Neji's party," she replied, "it's his birthday next Friday and he wants to invite some people out to Degree." I looked up from my yogurt salad with interest. Degree was my favorite club in all of Konoha. They had the hottest music and the hottest guys. Degree was my turf, my element.

"Well, wait a minute," Ino said, "I'm not helping you find a dress unless you promise me an invite." Tenten laughed.

"Relax," she said, "I've got Neji wrapped around my little finger. I can promise all of you guys an invite." I chuckled.

"Damn," I said, "that's too bad. It would've been just as much fun to crash that party." Hinata giggled. Out of our circle of friends, Hinata is the quietest. She's really sweet and is actually really funny, but she's so self-conscious that she never puts herself out there. Tenten is kind of the one who holds the group together. Without her, I highly doubt that Temari would be hanging out with us. Tenten is really smart and bubbly. She's someone that I can respect and look up to.

Once we had all finished up and paid the bill, we left the restaurant and headed for Aikko, our favorite high scale department store. I practically live at Aikko when I'm not busy living at Degree or some guy's apartment.

We immediately headed over for the formal section and started picking out dresses for Tenten to wear. Unfortunately, her taste is very discriminating.

"What about this one, Tenten?" Ino said, holding up a gorgeous green dress made of silk. It had a little diamond pin right at the bust and was about knee length.

"I don't know," Tenten winced, "I'm not a big fan of green." Ino sighed and put the dress under her arm.

"Whatever," she said, "if you won't buy it, I will." Hinata then picked a midnight blue halter dress off the rack.

"Well, how about this, Tenten?" she said. Tenten shrugged.

"Maybe." I eyed the dress.

"Actually," I said, "that dress would look great on you, Hinata. It would really play up your hair." Hinata smiled and held on to the dress. I turned and pulled a few other dress choices off of the rack.

"Dressing room," I said, dragging Tenten with me. The five of us each got a room to try things on, since we would all need something to wear for the night of Neji's party.

"Tenten, are you done yet?" Temari asked. She had on a short black dress and was sitting down in a chair, her legs crossed. Hinata had on the midnight blue dress and was leaning against the wall next to me, while Ino stood in front of the triple mirror, looking herself over in the green dress. I had picked out a cherry red halter dress with a low, open back. I stood next to Hinata, fixing my makeup with my compact.

"I don't know about this, you guys," Tenten said from her dressing room.

"Just show us already," Temari whined. I rolled my eyes.

"Tenten, you said you wanted my help," I said, "so I picked out the hottest dress in the store for you. You're gonna look awesome. Now would you come out and let us see it?" She sighed and opened the door. She stood before us in a gorgeous strapless dress in a red wine color. The dress fit her like a glove around the bust and waist, and flowed out at her hips. She looked absolutely stunning.

"Wow, Tenten," Hinata said, "you look…amazing." I closed my compact mirror and smiled proudly. Damn, I was good. Ino stopped fidgeting in front of the triple mirror and looked at Tenten.

"Shut up!" she exclaimed, "oh my freaking god, Tenten! You look awesome!" Tenten beamed, twirling a little.

"You really think it looks that good?" she said. I put my mirror away and nodded.

"Tenten," I said, "believe me. You look hotter than I do. And that's saying something." Tenten smiled, finally convinced. We quickly changed out of our dresses and headed for the cash register to pay for our purchases.

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I arrived at Kaza fashionably late. Ten-thirty to be exact. As the bellmen opened the gigantic wooden doors, I strutted into the lobby feeling confident in my new Betsey Johnson evening dress. And why shouldn't I feel confident? I looked like a goddess.

The Hotel Kaza, or simply Kaza, was packed as usual. Only the richest kids in Konoha showed up for the Kaza benefit fashion shows. As I made my way through the crowds, I heard someone calling my name.

"Sakura-chan!" God. It was Lee. Rock Lee was nice enough—not to mention rich—and he did seem to care about me a lot. He even admitted that he loved me once. But really, does he think I'll ever even consider him? I mean, I have a reputation for only dating Konoha's finest men—tall, dark, handsome, and filthy rich—and Lee's bowl cut and absurd taste in fashion just don't make the cut. But, I mean, I can't totally ignore him. That would just be rude. And like I said, he does care about me a lot.

"Hey, Lee," I said once he had reached me. I tried not to wince at his outfit—a green suit and orange tie that reeked of the eighties. He beamed at me, looking me over.

"Sakura-chan," he said softly, "you're looking more beautiful than ever. Are you here alone?" Alone. God, I hated that word. Especially since I knew that's all I would ever be…alone.

I mean, don't get me wrong, guys like me. It's not like I'm a dog. Even though I live at home, I've made some pay doing modeling. So, yeah, I'm actually quite pretty. Not that I want to sound cocky or anything. But still. Despite the fact that I've spent countless hours with my personal trainer to get the perfect figure and I'm heiress to about one hundred mil, guys don't seem to want to _stay_ with me. Oh, sure, I'm more than enough for one night. Maybe a month or some on and off dating, but it never becomes more than that. The truth is, I've never been in a _real_ relationship. You know, where the other person actually _cares_ about you. And it always bothers me when someone actually reminds me that I don't have a husband or even a boyfriend.

"Um, yeah," I replied casually, "just flying solo tonight." Lee raised his eyebrows at me, as if he couldn't believe that I had come to the show by myself. But luckily, before he could comment, a waiter came over and informed us that the show would be starting soon.

I was so relieved that I practically darted to the runway and took my seat in the front row. Just moments later, I was joined by Ino, who had apparently been to the bar before stopping at the hotel.

"Sakura, how are you?" she said, a goofy smile on her face, "isn't this party the greatest? Do you think they'll have pina coladas?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ino, you're not supposed to drink until after the show," I said. She looked at me with an extremely appalled face.

"I know that," she said, "but I'm not even drunk yet." I laughed.

"Okay then," I said, "you must be as high as the ceiling." She ignored me and soon the show began. I carefully admired the many designs from my seat, until something—or rather, someone—caught my eye. Sitting in the second row on the other side of the runway was Naruto Uzumaki. We'd been friends since we were kids—although Naruto had always wanted us to be more. But he wasn't the one who caught my eye. It was the person next to him.

Sitting next to Naruto, dressed in what could only be an Armani suit and looking incredibly handsome in it, was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. He hadn't changed much, except for the fact that he looked so much more…manly. But his dark eyes and hair were unmistakable. And those eyes, which were black as the night, were looking not at the model, but at me!

He was staring at me blatantly with an expression of complete confidence, a small smile—something rarely seen on his face—across his lips. I felt myself quickly look away and almost sink into my seat. Had it been any other guy, I would've been more forward and at least flirted back. But this was Sasuke Uchiha. The one guy who had complete power over me. The one guy who I didn't dare stand up to.

I glanced at him again only to discover that his gaze had not moved. He turned his eyes away from me, after seeing that I had noticed him looking at me. I looked over at Ino, who was trying desperately to fix her lip liner. She didn't seem to have noticed him.

I was thankful when the show had ended and everyone made their way back into the lobby for drinks. Ino was practically the first one there, but I tried my hardest to get lost in the crowd, in the hopes of losing Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan, let me buy you a drink," Lee said, once I had made it to the lobby.

After ordering an apple martini, I went to stand by the grand staircase so I could watch the others. Knowing that the rumors had been true, that Sasuke had returned, I didn't feel much like socializing at the moment. In fact, I felt sick to my stomach.

Lee was keeping me company while I observed Ino, who was so hammered that she didn't even realize that she was practically throwing herself at Shikamaru. His girlfriend, Temari, didn't look so happy. I felt better as I sipped my martini, until an all too familiar voice filled my ears.

"Sakura-chan! You'll never guess who's here!" I thought I was going to faint as I saw Naruto approaching me along with the only person who'd ever really intimidated me.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" said Lee, "you're back in Konoha?" Sasuke only nodded at Lee politely. And only for a moment. Because then his gaze fell on me again, and I felt the room instantly grow warmer.

"Sakura," he said, in that voice so smooth it was like silk, "it's good to see you." Normally, I would've come up with some witty remark about how he'd been 'seeing' me all evening, but him being _the_ Sasuke Uchiha, my mouth had gone dry as sandpaper.

"Yeah," I finally managed to say, "yeah, it's good to…see you too." He was about to say something else, when a very drunk Ino Yamanaka came stumbling over, a glass of vodka with an orange slice in her hand.

"Sasuke! No way! When did you get back?" she practically yelled. Sasuke glanced at her, slightly repulsed. I admit, I felt a little triumphant. Sasuke sure as hell hadn't looked repulsed with me.

"Oh," he said, sounding annoyed, "hello, Ino." Ino didn't even notice the annoyance in his voice. She kept right on talking.

"Well, now that you're back, you have to come out with us sometime!" she exclaimed, "Neji Hyuuga's having a party at Degree on Friday. You should come! Everyone's going to be there: Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Hinata, Sakura-" His eyebrows went up a little at the mention of my name. Oh, great.

"Yeah," he said, "I'll be there." Before Ino could get another word in, I grabbed her arm and said, "I think you've had enough to drink for one night, Ino. Let's get you home. Excuse us." Lee and Naruto said goodnight, but Sasuke only continued to stare at me. And Ino just complained.

I took Ino to my place. My parents were away until Saturday, so I figured I could let her crash at my house for the night. Despite all her complaints that she wasn't _that_ drunk, she immediately collapsed onto the couch the minute we stepped through the door. I glanced at the clock, which read one-thirty a.m.

"Oh, no you don't," I said tossing her a bottle of aspirin, "you aren't getting away with this." She rubbed her head and squinted a little.

"Getting away with what?" she grumbled, taking two aspirin, "I didn't do anything to you." My eyebrows shot up.

"Didn't do anything?" I repeated, "why did you invite Sasuke to Neji's party?" She looked at me like I had two heads.

"Duh," she said, "because he's gorgeous. Did you hit your head or something? Aren't you crazy about him anyway? You should be thanking me, not yelling at me." I stepped out of my Jimmy Choo pumps and crossed the room.

"Ino," I said, "I don't even want to be in the same _room_ as Sasuke right now. And I definitely don't want to go to a party that I know he's going to be at."

"Why not?" she said, stretching out on the sofa, "you know you love him. Any woman with half a brain loves him. Why wouldn't you want him to be there?" I sighed.

"It would just be awkward, okay?" I said, plopping down next to her. She raised her head to look at me, her dark blue eyes all squinty.

"Did you two sleep together or something?" she asked me. I gaped at her.

"Of course not!" I said quickly. She only laughed.

"Then what's the deal?" she asked, "what's with you, anyway? You've been acting weird all evening." _I'd_ been acting weird? I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at her. She groaned.

"Ino Yamanaka," I said, "sometimes you are so blind."

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**A/N: Like I said, it's an old one, so it could maybe use some editing. But I'll have the next few chapters up today…that's where it gets interesting, so bear with it. Now go comment.**


	2. Chapter 2

I had been avoiding Sasuke all week, barely going out anymore for fear of seeing him somewhere. Which prompted everyone to think that I was seriously ill or something, because I'm almost _never_ home.

"Hey, Sakura, it's Tenten," was Tenten's message, "listen, I was just wondering if you were still coming to Degree with us on Friday. You've been kind of distant lately and I haven't really seen you around much. Is everything okay?" And then there was the message from Naruto.

"Sakura-chan, where've you been? I figured you would be coming to dinner with the rest of us last night, but you never showed. And everybody's been saying that you haven't left your house for the past few days. Are you all right? Call me when you get this." And, of course, the message from Ino…

"What the hell, Sakura? Just because I invited Sasuke to that party, you're blowing everyone off? Look, I didn't know that it would bother you…and I was kind of buzzed that night so I didn't really know what I was doing. Well, whatever, if you want to hide in your room, be my guest. Besides, if you're not going to be at Neji's party, then I'll just have to keep Sasuke company myself."

I about died when I heard that one. Ino definitely knew how to get under my skin. And after that message, I knew I had to go to the party anyway, no matter how much I didn't want to see Sasuke. Because I just couldn't let Ino win without a fight. Although I doubt she would win anyway since Sasuke has shown almost no interest in her.

So when Friday evening came, I made sure that Sasuke would find me more appealing than Ino. One of the maids ran a bath for me, filled with vanilla and lilac salts and soaps. Afterwards, I used the curling iron to achieve my signature soft waves, pinning half of it back with a small barrette. The makeup I kept simple, only using a light smoky shadow on my eyes, highlighting bronzer on my face, a soft pink blush and matching lipgloss. I wanted to look beautiful without looking like I tried.

For my outfit, I picked out a black corset-style Dolce and Gabbana dress that ended a few inches above my knee. I added my favorite red open-toe pumps and was out the door.

Although Neji had rented out the club for the night, Degree was still packed. Neji was a popular guy in Konoha, and he always threw the best parties. He and Tenten were at the front door, greeting the guests as they came in. When she spotted me, Tenten threw her arms around me and hugged me so tightly that I couldn't breathe. She was wearing the wine-colored dress that I had picked out for her at Aikko.

"God, you came!" she squealed, "where have you been? Everyone seems to think you went on a weekend getaway with a special someone in the middle of the week. So spill! Who is he?" I only laughed. No doubt Ino made up that lie to make people think that I was a no-show for Neji's party.

"There is no special someone," I cleared up, "and there was no getaway. I just wasn't feeling all that well." Tenten eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then seemed to get over it.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," she said, "go ahead in. The bar's already open and the DJ just started playing some songs." I nodded to her and Neji and went in.

It was Degree all right. The floor was already packed with people dancing and the bar seemed to have a pretty long line. Not feeling like dancing quite yet, I headed for the bar.

"Apple martini, please," I said to one of the bartenders. He stared at me a moment, then went to fix my drink. I sighed, rubbing my temples. Sasuke was probably here already. He was known for being on time.

I really couldn't understand it. I was so confused and angry and frustrated. I just couldn't think straight. And Ino's words kept reverberating through my mind. _'You know you love him'_…

The truth was that I did love him. And I had ever since I was thirteen. But he'd never shown any interest in me. In fact, he'd always acted like he hated me. I had actually been a little relieved when he'd left Konoha for a few years. I was able to move on with my life and just forget about Sasuke Uchiha—although, I could never _really_ forget him.

And now that he was back, everything seemed ten times harder. I couldn't focus on anything but him. All I wanted was him. That's all I had ever wanted. He was the only person who could both intrigue me and scare the life out of me.

"Apple martini," the bartender said, placing my drink in front of me. I fumbled through my Fendi bag to find my wallet.

"Don't worry about that, Miss," the bartender told me, "this is complements of the gentleman at the end of the bar." I felt myself shudder. I practically had to force myself to look down the bar to where he was sitting, drinking a beer and watching me.

He smirked a moment, when he had caught my eye, and then winked at me. And my heart did a somersault.

"Sakura-chan, you made it!" Naruto almost yelled. I turned to find him behind me, gaping at me.

"Wow," he said, "you look incredible." I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Easy boy," I said, "you have a girlfriend, remember?"

"I wasn't insinuating anything," he replied, "anyway, a bunch of us are at a booth in the back. Care to join?" Still feeling Sasuke's gaze on me, I immediately agreed. I grabbed my apple martini and let Naruto lead me into the back room where a bunch of our friends were already sitting together.

"Hey, Sakura!" the group said to me as I sat down. Everyone was there. And one particular blonde didn't seem too happy to see me.

"Glad you could come," was all that Ino said to me. She looked fabulous in a short Vera Wang dress. And I was mildly surprised that she wasn't already clinging to Sasuke's arm.

After some drinks, most of the group went out to the dance floor. I passed, complaining of a headache, and remained at the booth alone. But not for long. I had been texting my driver to come pick me up, when I heard Him.

"What," he said, "is a gorgeous woman like you doing here all alone?" I looked right up into the onyx eyes that seemed to haunt me wherever I went.

He smiled at me, seemingly friendly, gestured to the empty space next to me and said, "May I?" I hesitantly moved my bag.

"How was Sound City?" I asked, not wanting to seem rude, although I didn't care at all about his business trip. He sighed.

"Uneventful," he said, "that's pretty much how things have been for me lately. Until now, that is." I stared at him, realizing what he was implying, but said nothing. It was like my mouth had turned to sand all over again. My heart was beating a little bit faster, my throat felt a bit sore. How could this one man do so much to me?

"So," he continued, his eyes never leaving my face, "you've been avoiding me." It wasn't a question. It was an accusation, which I thought was very bold of him.

"You think pretty highly of yourself, don't you?" was what I said. He chuckled.

"Don't pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about," he said, "I know how you feel about me. You don't have to hide it, you know. It shows on your face."

He was actually making me angry…and turning me on. His confidence was so unflinching that it infuriated me and made me want to kiss him all at the same time. But I made sure not to let him know that, and only let the anger show through.

"Really?" I said sarcastically, "it shows on my face that I think you're a pompous jerk? There's one for Ripley's Believe It or Not." His smiled faded and he seemed mad at me for a moment. But the smile quickly returned.

"You talk pretty tough," he said, his gaze moving to my chest, "for a woman with your assets." I scoffed and reached for my bag, leaving the booth and making my way towards the door.

"Sakura!" he called after me, "get back here!" I ignored him and stepped outside. I pulled a box of Marlboros from my purse along with a liter. I took a long drag from the cigarette and leaned against the wall, waiting for him. I knew he would follow me out, and he didn't disappoint me.

"Hey," he said, once he'd spotted me, "listen to me. No one, and I mean _no one_, walks away from me when I'm talking to them." I don't know what made me say it. He was so furious with me and I was so frustrated with him that it got to me.

"That's interesting," I took another drag, "because I could've sworn that's what I just did." He smacked the cigarette out of my hand. It felt to the floor and he put it out with the heel of his shoe. Then he grabbed my arm and looked at me very seriously.

"You listen to me," he said fiercely, "I'm going to tell you right here, right now. You don't talk to me that way, understand? I don't care who you are or what you look like. I didn't come all this way to be treated like that by some bitch." I could not believe what I was hearing. First all I could think was how dare he call me a bitch! Then I heard what he had said. He came all this way…to see me? Is that what he meant?

"Maybe you shouldn't have come at all," was what I said next. He started laughing and I felt incredibly stupid.

"Then I wouldn't get to make you mine, baby," he said. And then it happened. He kissed me. Just out of know where, he full on kissed me smack on the lips. And the worst part is…I sort of kissed him back. Which, of course, only made him kiss me harder. Until his tongue was in my mouth and his hands came around my waist.

Thank god no one came out of the club right then, and the street was quiet for the moment, because he was starting to pull at the thick straps of my dress and my arms were around his neck, resting on his shoulders. I don't know what I was thinking. It just seemed so right and I had missed him so much and Ino was going to be so jealous that I just let him keep kissing me. Finally, he had managed to tug one of the straps over my shoulder so that my collarbone was visible to him. He moved along my neck and then kissed at the crook of my collarbone and I was gasping, my eyes closed.

Suddenly, he stopped. He pulled away from me slightly, his hands still around my waist, and just looked into my eyes. I thought I would melt on the spot. He took my hand and was about to lead me up the street to god-knows-where when my driver pulled up with the car.

"Leaving so soon, Miss Haruno?" he asked me. He stepped out of the car to open the door for me, but Sasuke assured him he had it. I slid into the back, with Sasuke right behind me, and we headed back to my house.

When we arrived, I thanked the driver and searched my bag for the keys. Hopefully, the maids had all gone home for the night. I was still looking when I felt hands around my waist again and warm lips on the back of my neck. Sasuke moaned into my skin. I finally recovered the keys and we hurried inside tossing everything onto the coffee table. I ran upstairs to my enormous bedroom, Sasuke chasing behind me. We locked the door behind us and fell onto my bed, him still tugging at my dress.

I glanced at the clock. Midnight…Yesterday, I never would've guessed that I would kiss Sasuke Uchiha in twenty-four hours time.

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I awoke the next morning to see light streaming in through the windows. I was so cold. Why was I so cold? I pulled the comforter over my naked body. WAIT. I was _naked_? In bed? And someone else was naked right next to me?

A head of messy black hair was on the pillow next to mine. He was breathing softly and he seemed so perfect to me in that moment. I dragged myself out of bed to take a shower—apparently I needed one. When I had finished, I emerged from the bathroom to find Sasuke already awake and lying in bed on his back.

"The towel does you no justice," he grinned, looking me over. I ignored him and started going through my underwear drawer, pulling out a blue bra and matching blue thong. Sasuke watched me as I walked around in my underwear, fixing my hair up into a ponytail and removing what was left of last night's makeup.

"You don't need all that makeup," he said, as I wiped off the bronzer, "you're already perfect without it." I couldn't believe that this man was the same person who had, just last night, called me a bitch. But before I could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

"Sakura?" my mother called, "are you decent, sweetheart?" I felt my heart plummet. Oh. My. God. I had completely forgotten that my parents were coming home on Saturday. It was only eleven, so they must've gotten back early. But what would my mom say if she found a man in my bedroom?!

"Just a minute," I called back, shoving Sasuke into my walk-in closet. I grabbed a robe and quickly tied it around myself before answering the door.

"Hi, darling," my mother said, waltzing into my room, "I just wanted to remind you about the charity ball tomorrow evening. Your fitting for the dress is this afternoon and I would go with you, but your father just informed me that he has some old colleagues coming over for lunch this afternoon. Now, do you have a date?" She was picking up my clothes from last night, while I sat on the bed trying to retain all this information.

"For what?" I said. She frowned at me.

"For the charity ball, honey," she said, "haven't you been listening to a word I've said. You need a date, darling. No doubt the paparazzi will be there and you'd look better if you had a man on your arm." My mother everyone. Always looking out for me. If only she could be there for the really important stuff, like when I had my heart broken because the man of my dreams left the city for five years.

"Yes," I said, not really thinking about what I was saying. She was about to say something else, when she held something up for me to see. And I about died.

"Sakura," she said seriously, "whose are these?" She was holding up Sasuke's shirt and pants from the night before. I swallowed hard.

"Oh," I said, quickly, "they're Naruto's. I accidentally spilled something on my dress the other day and he gave me something to wear home." She looked at me like I was crazy for a moment, then quickly dismissed it.

"Well," she said, "I'll just have this along with your dress taken out for dry cleaning later. And you're to be at Vincent's at three. Don't be late." I nodded and she left the room. Quickly, I grabbed Sasuke's clothes and thrust them in the closet.

He came out a few moments later, looking for his socks and shoes, while I was pulling on some low-riders. I also threw on a tight green sweater with a deep-V neck.

"I'll see you around, baby," Sasuke said, kissing my cheek. That's it? 'See you around'? That's all he had to say to me? He was heading for the balcony, I suppose to climb down. But I couldn't let him get away that easily. Not now.

"Sasuke?" I called after him. He turned and looked at me hopefully.

"Um," I said softly, suddenly feeling intimidated again, "there's this charity ball tomorrow and-"

"I'll pick you up at eight-thirty," he smiled. I felt myself grinning as well. He then turned again disappeared off the balcony. That's when I knew. Sasuke Uchiha would be mine.

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"So, wait, does this mean you guys are a couple now?" Tenten asked me later that same day. We were at Vincent's Place, getting my dress for the charity ball fitted.

Vincent was my personal tailor, and he also designed some things for me. Today, he was fitting me for a pale blue Valentino gown. And I had asked Tenten to come with me, so that I could talk to her about what had happened between Sasuke and me. Usually, I would've brought Ino with me, but I highly doubted that she would want to hear about how Sasuke and I slept together. 

"I guess so," I replied, as Vincent tried to fit my waist, "I mean, he did say he'd take me to the charity ball. And then there's the whole sleeping together thing." Tenten laughed, checking her makeup in her compact mirror.

"Yeah, I guess that's a pretty good sign," she said. I laughed a little, then sighed. Vincent was desperately trying to fit the dress, tugging it in some areas to determine how much tailoring was needed. Finally, he came to a conclusion.

"All right, sweetie," he said, "I'm just going to hem the bottom a little, take it in at the waist, and let it out at the bust. Should have it back to you tomorrow morning. Sound good?" I nodded and kissed him once on each cheek.

"Thanks, Vincent," I said. I turned to go, but stopped when he called after me.

"And sweetie?" he said, "about your situation…men like Sasuke Uchiha always like a woman who's mysterious. Tease him a little, and he won't leave your side. Leave something to the imagination. I think you'll be surprised at the results." Tenten and I glanced at one another and we all started laughing. I was getting tips from a gay tailor. How could anyone _not_ find humor in that?

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The night of the charity ball, Sasuke arrived on time, as was his usual, and our driver took us to City Hall, where the event would be taking place. Vincent had dropped off my dress, which now fit like a glove, earlier that day.

When we arrived at City Hall, we weren't all that surprised to see a ton of reporters and photographers swarming around the couples who were entering the building. We were used to being treated like royalty.

Sasuke kept his arm around my waist the entire time until we got inside, where the whole place was already buzzing. We saw Naruto and Hinata, as well as Tenten and Neji. Tenten made sure to give me a little wink and whisper "you look great". It was as we were talking to Kakashi that I heard her voice.

"Sasuke!" I looked over my shoulder to see Ino bounding towards us. I had to admit that she looked good in her silk turquoise dress.

"Sasuke, I didn't know you were coming!" Sasuke's grim expression must've been completely invisible to Ino because she kept right on talking despite the fact that he was shooting her death glares.

"And you look so handsome!" she kept saying, "is that a Giorgio suit? Well, you look great. Care for a couple of gin-and-tonics?" Sasuke winced.

"No, thanks," he said coldly.

"Besides," I said, making Ino take notice of me, "you're only supposed to drink wine at the charity balls. Everyone knows that." She looked me up and down.

"Nice dress, Sakura," she said sarcastically, "I think my ninety-year-old grandmother has one just like it. Only it looks way better on her." I just grinned.

"Glad you like it," I decided to press on, "so, who exactly are you with tonight?" She made a face at me and rolled her eyes.

"Flying solo," she answered, "you should know an awful lot about that." I laughed. She had no idea who she was dealing with. Feeling overly confident, I took Sasuke's hand and put his arm around my waist, which he didn't seem to mind.

"Not anymore," I said proudly, then to Sasuke, "white wine?" He smiled and we left Ino behind us, completely baffled.

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"You look beautiful," Sasuke whispered in my ear. I turned around and kissed him hard on the lips in front of everyone. I'd had way too much wine and was too drunk to even care. Sasuke seemed to like this side of me.

"What do you say we blow this popsicle stand and head back to my place for the evening?" he asked, squeezing my hand. I was so giddy that I just beamed back at him.

"I say that sounds intriguing, Mr. Uchiha," I said, "but you know, you aren't looking so good." He looked at me strangely.

"What?" he said, "what do you mean? I look sick?" I nodded, giggling.

"Yeah," I said, "I think you need a doctor. Or better yet…a _nurse_. Nurse Sakura." He arched an eyebrow as a smile came to his lips.

"Really?" he said, "well Nurse Sakura, I'm suddenly feeling very ill. I think there's only one thing that can cure me this evening. And I think you're the only one who can make it all better." I smiled and kissed him again, before he led me towards the door.

"You two are leaving already?" Kakashi said, standing by the door. As usual, he was reading one of his Icha Icha books and looked at us with raised eyebrows.

"Don't worry, Kakashi," I said, playfully, "I'll save some for you." He blushed about two different shades of red, while Sasuke and I just laughed. Only later would I realize the irony of the situation…


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few months, life was good. At least…for the most part. Ino was no longer speaking to me since I was with Sasuke. Not that I cared. My priorities had recently taken a different turn. Sasuke came before anything else. Or anyone else.

Shortly after Christmas, I received an invitation to Naruto's annual New Year's Eve party. Sasuke and I were planning on going together. He came to pick me up on New Year's eve, carrying a small blue box.

"Hey gorgeous," he said, standing in the frame of my doorway. I was sitting at my vanity, brushing my hair, when I turned to look at him.

"Hi," I said, moving towards him and giving him a kiss. He slipped the box into my hand just before I pulled away.

"I got you something," he said. I looked at the box in awe. It was undoubtedly from Tiffany's. I looked up at him to see his enormous grin.

"Open it," he encouraged. I slowly untied the little white ribbon and opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond necklace. It had a large heart-shaped pendant in the middle, also made of diamonds. I gaped at it for a moment, then embraced him.

"Oh my god, Sasuke," I said, "it's…it's beautiful." He snickered.

"Well, I wanted it to be prettier," he explained, "something worthier of your own beauty. But this was best they could do custom in such a short amount of time."

"You had this _custom made_?" I said, my jaw practically hitting the floor. He nodded and I gave him another chaste kiss on the lips.

"I figured you could wear it tonight to the party," he said, while I walked back to the vanity, hastily putting the necklace on. I admired its beauty in the mirror.

"Wow," I said, "Sasuke, I don't know what to say. I mean, it's…thank you." He smiled brightly and sat down on my bed.

"So," he said casually, a small smirk on his lips, "does this mean I get the good loving tonight?" I blushed and smiled back.

"Indeed it does," I replied. I quickly changed into my favorite Miu Miu dress and Zac Posen heels. After applying some makeup, Sasuke and I headed down to the car where our usual driver was already waiting.

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The party was in full swing by the time we arrived. Naruto greeted us at the door and Sasuke handed him a bottle of champagne. Everyone made their way to the dance floor where the DJ was playing the Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps". Sasuke and I, as usual, headed straight for the bar.

"The usual?" Sasuke asked me. I nodded. He ordered my signature apple martini and a Jack and coke for himself. I pulled out my Marlboros and lit up a cigarette.

"Apple martini," the bartender said, placing my drink in front of me. Sasuke watched me as I took a sip of my martini and then a puff from my cigarette.

"You shouldn't drink and smoke at the same time," he said, "it's not ladylike."

"And when have I ever been a lady?" I asked him. He smiled. I had him there. Sasuke Uchiha had molded me into the skank that I truly was.

After a few drinks, we joined the rest of the crowd on the dance floor. Sasuke was an excellent dancer. I guess I was more buzzed than I realized. I suddenly felt very light-headed, like I was going to puke. Sasuke noticed and immediately pulled me off of the dance floor and into the women's bathroom, where I fell to my knees in front of a toilet and wretched into it. Sasuke was laughing from where he stood by the sink.

"I told you not to drink and smoke at the same time," he said. I wiped my mouth with some toilet paper and came out of the stall.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," I said coldly, "but this has nothing to do with being 'ladylike'." He only grinned at me.

"Do you want me to get you something?" he asked. I pulled some lipliner out of my purse and began reapplying it.

"Vodka," I told him, "straight." He arched an eyebrow. God, I always got weak in the knees when he did that. He was the sexiest creature alive, and he wasn't even trying.

"Because liquor is the solution to all problems?" he said sarcastically.

"Exactly," I replied, "at least I won't remember this tomorrow." He shook his head, still smiling, and left the bathroom. After I'd fixed my makeup, I took a good hard look at myself in the mirror. I seemed skinnier. Well, I should be. I've been 'dieting' like crazy. But right now, I didn't look as happy as I had felt earlier.

I sighed and tousled my hair a bit. Then I adjusted my dress slightly and grabbed my purse, heading back out. But I had only made it a few steps out of the bathroom when I saw something that would never forget. Or forgive…

Across from where I stood, at the bar, was Sasuke. He had a glass in one hand, my drink no doubt, and his arm around another girl. But, no, this wasn't just any girl. It was none other than my best friend, and worst enemy, Ino Yamanaka.

I stood there for a moment completely infuriated, not even sure I could move. But to top off what had already been an awful evening, I watched as the two of them leaned in simultaneously and kissed smack on the lips. And this was no friendly peck. It wasn't even a chaste little thing. It was full-fledged make out session.

Ino's arms were wrapping around his neck, deepening the kiss, and Sasuke was spilling my drink all over the floor. I was so stunned that I didn't even notice when Lee came up to me, smiling brightly.

"Sakura-chan!" he said, "would you like to dance?" I didn't even look at him. I was so entranced and angry with the sight before my eyes. Until finally I snapped.

I marched my way over to where my 'boyfriend' and 'best friend' were swapping spit. I asked the bartender for a glass of red wine, and saw Sasuke pull away from Ino the second he heard my voice. He looked at me, eyes widened.

"Sakura," he started to say, "I-"

"Save it," I said, holding up a hand, "I don't want to hear any of your pathetic excuses." At that moment, the bartender came over with my drink.

"FYI, Sasuke," I said, "if you wanted a lady, you just took a step down the ladder and landed yourself a slut. But as long as you're cool with that…" And that's when I did it. I took my glass of red wine and tossed it in his face, smirking with my own brilliance.

Some of the wine, which had doused his black Armani suit, had splattered onto Ino's ivory Dior cocktail dress. Neither of them would ever be able to get the stains out.

"You bitch!" Ino squealed, "this dress cost me seven-hundred dollars!"

"Oh, sorry," I said, feigning true sorrow, "you could always dye the rest of it to match." She glared at me as I turned and walked towards the door.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, having seen the whole thing from the front door, "what the hell just happened?" I smiled at him.

"Just gave two of our good friends a little New Year's gift," I said, before waltzing out the door.

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I hadn't seen anyone for more than two weeks, and my parents were getting worried. I wasn't eating a whole lot and spent all my time watching reality TV and reading fashion magazines. I would cry every time I came across an article about how to please a man because, clearly, I hadn't. Clearly, I wasn't enough for Sasuke.

I'd received loads of calls from him, as well as my friends, but I hadn't returned any of them. Sasuke had even tried coming to my house a few times, saying that we needed to "talk", but I always told the maids to send him away. I just didn't want to talk to anyone. I had never felt so betrayed.

Hygiene had taken a backseat. My hair was flat from lack of blow-drying and I hadn't worn makeup in what felt like ages. I had forgone my usual high-end designer dresses and skirts, and now only strutted around the house in Juicy Couture sweatpants and oversized T-shirts.

My parents would insistently ask me if I wanted to talk. But I always said no. They knew that whatever had happened had to do with Sasuke, but they didn't know the details. For the most part, they were pretty sympathetic. My mother would bring home new clothes for me to wear, like she did when I was a child, but they were always thrown to the back of my closet. My dad offered to take me on a trip with him to Paris or somewhere, somewhere I could get away from all that had happened. I always declined his offers. I had sunk into a depression that it seemed no one could save me from.

One morning, while my mother and father were out, Naruto came to visit me. In my current state, I really didn't want to let him in. But I knew that he would be just as persistent as Sasuke was and would eventually find a way in.

"Hey," he said from the doorway. I was lying in bed, but lifted my head to look at him. His penetrating blue eyes looked back at me in sympathy.

"Hey," I replied, "I'm sorry I ruined your party." He smiled.

"You didn't ruin it," he said, "but you embarrassed the hell out of Sasuke." I groaned. I didn't like hearing that name anymore.

"Is that why you came?" I asked, "to talk about him?" He shrugged.

"No," he said finally, "I came to see if you were all right. But if you want to talk about him-"

"No," I said quickly, "I really don't." He sighed and came into the room, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"He misses you, you know," Naruto said. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I'll bet he does," I said sarcastically. Naruto chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, listen," he said, "everyone's going out to Degree tonight. And I hear there's supposed be a shot contest between Neji, Chouji, and Lee." I sat up a little, my eyebrows raised high.

"Lee?" I said, "are you serious? I thought he wasn't into shots?"

"Well," Naruto continued, "there's a slight chance there might be body shots. As well as a wet T-shirt contest. I think he's hoping he might get some of that." I laughed. I felt bad for laughing because Lee is a total sweetheart and all. But it was too funny.

"With those eyebrows?" I said, "I think not. And since when do we party like college kids on spring break?" Naruto smiled deviously.

"Since two weeks ago," he explained, "when Ino suggested it." I frowned and Naruto realized his mistake.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "you don't want to talk about it." I stood up and crossed the room to my closet, pulling out a purple kimono-like robe.

"It's just," I started angrily, "what is there to talk about, Naruto? I mean, yeah, Sasuke and I are over. Probably for good. But I don't want to be with someone who's just going to cheat on me." Naruto watched me as I pulled on the robe, then looked at me with a very serious expression.

"Are you in love with him?" he asked me. I stared at him for a moment. That had been the last thing I'd expected him to say. I folded my arms over my chest.

"Yes," I said, very quietly. He looked down at his feet, while I stood in the doorway to my walk-in closet. We remained in silence for a few moments.

"Is he going to be there?" I asked, softly, "at Degree tonight?" Naruto shrugged.

"I don't know," he said, "maybe. Will you come?" I tilted my head slightly.

"I guess I can't hide forever."

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Degree, as usual, was packed with people, for which I was thankful. For once, I was trying to keep a low profile at a party. Halfway through the party, I found myself sitting in one of the back booths alone. I had been sitting with Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Temari, Hinata, and Naruto, but they had all either left for the bar or the dance floor.

I didn't mind the solitude. In fact, I preferred it. I had seen Ino in the mix of people on the dance floor, and all the pain I'd felt came rushing right back. So, instead of watching Chouji, Neji, and Lee down as many shots as they could without puking, I kept to my little corner booth, smoking a few Marlboros.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, disrupting my solitude.

"Hey, Naruto," I sighed, putting out my cigarette in the ashtray, "who won the shot contest?" I could tell he was slightly buzzed. He wouldn't stop grinning.

"I'll give you a hint," he said, leaning back with his arms behind his head, " 'the power of youth was most abundant tonight.'" I gaped at him.

"No way!" I said, "he won?" Naruto nodded, laughing.

"But they had to get him a bucket he was puking so much," he said. Naruto and I were having a good laugh about Lee's victory, when suddenly he became serious again.

"Sakura-chan," he said, "why aren't you having a good time?"

"Who says I'm not having a good time?" I said, slightly taken aback.

"Please," he said, "usually, you're completely wasted by now." I laughed again, digging through my purse to find my compact.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, "there's gonna be a wet T-shirt contest pretty soon in case you're interested." I gave him a dirty look, while he only smiled, clearly proud of himself.

"Seriously, Naruto," I said, "I'm fine." He eyed me suspiciously for a moment, but then sighed and stood up.

"All right," he said, "let me know if you need a ride home or a man whore for the night." I giggled as he walked away.

I sat there for probably half an hour, just watching the couples on the dance floor and at the bar and in the booths. I had never felt this alone. I wasn't usually such a wallflower, but tonight I just couldn't enjoy myself. I took out my cell phone and was about to call my driver to come pick me up, when a shadow cast over my table.

I looked up into his black eyes. They were somehow different from Sasuke's onyx ones. Kakashi stood tall before me, his hands in the pockets of his pinstripe pants. He looked at me with an unfaltering, emotionless gaze. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he spoke.

"I heard about what happened," he said bluntly. I only stared at him, unable to think of words at the time.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Still, I said nothing. I must've looked like a complete idiot to him. He offered me his hand, which I took, and pulled me up so that I was standing in front of him. Kakashi, at over six feet tall, towered over me.

"Coffee?" he asked me. I nodded, thinking that coffee would probably be better for me right now that any amount of alcohol. He walked behind me as we approached the front door, keeping his hand on my elbow to guide me. Just as we were leaving, I caught a glimpse of Sasuke and Ino, both staring at me with quizzical expressions. I smiled to myself when I realized what they must've been thinking, seeing me with Kakashi.

Kakashi was some piece of eye candy. He was fifteen years older than me and my friends, but that fact didn't do anything against his looks. He had silvery hair, and strong facial features. And he was in excellent shape, with a body like a model. That's not to say that Sasuke didn't have that. But there was an unmistakable difference between Sasuke and Kakashi. Sasuke was hot for his age, but Kakashi had a kind of manly essence about himself. I had known Kakashi since I was a little girl, but it had never really occurred to me just how sexy he was.

Not to mention gentlemanly. As we were leaving, he held the door open for me and tipped the doorman a ten-spot. That's the other thing. Kakashi's filthy rich.

As we were walking along the sidewalk toward the café on the corner, I caught a few glances at his placid face. _I may have a use for you yet_, I thought to myself.

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While Kakashi was ordering our cappuccinos, I hastily used my compact mirror to fix my makeup and tousle my hair. I wasn't really sure if this was a good idea, but I knew that it would work. There were only two people in this world who could make Sasuke jealous…Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake. But Naruto had a girlfriend, and it would've been too awkward for me to go out with one of my best friends. That left only Kakashi, who was single. And was about to get a taste of Sakura pie.

"So," Kakashi said, sitting down opposite me, "are you going to tell me what happened or am I just supposed to guess?"

"I think it's pretty obvious what happened, don't you?" I said. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at me and took a sip of his latte.

"Still angry then?" he asked. I frowned, stirring my cappuccino.

"Wouldn't you be?" I said softly. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"No," he said, "not really. But then, I know Sasuke Uchiha." I made a face.

"And I don't?" I said, "no offense, Kakashi, but I've known Sasuke since we were just little kids. I think I know him pretty well." Kakashi only chuckled.

"Sakura," he said, "just because the two of you have known each other since childhood, doesn't mean that you know anything about one another. If you really knew Sasuke Uchiha, you would have known he'd be unfaithful." I frowned. Was he right? I mean, yeah, I had known Sasuke since we were kids. But how much did I actually know about him? Apparently less than I thought. I felt a hand on top of mine and looked up to see a smiling Kakashi.

"You shouldn't dwell on it," he said kindly, "he made a mistake. And he is human. You should just be the bigger person and forgive him for it. Life is too short to hold grudges." I forced a small smile. Kakashi was such a good guy. I couldn't steep so low as to use him to get Sasuke jealous. That would just be wrong.

But then again…his hand was still touching mine. And he was looking at me with that special twinkle in his eye—something I like to think is reserved just for me.

"So," I said, trying to be sexy, "this isn't why you asked me out, is it? You didn't ask me out to talk about him?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at me.

"I didn't ask you to come so that anything could happen," he replied, "I asked you to come because I think you need a friend." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Are you serious?" I said, laughing it off and hoping he was kidding. But he clearly wasn't kidding. Kakashi's face was serious. I suddenly felt myself blushing.

"Sakura," he said, "you are perhaps one of the smartest individuals I've ever met. I am completely and utterly proud of the young woman you're growing up to be-"

"But that's it," I interrupted, "that's all you see me as…the young teenage girl you tutored for so long?" Kakashi sighed and removed his hand, leaning back in his seat.

"I see you as the bright, attractive woman that you are," he admitted, "but I know you very well, Sakura. I know that any romantic affection you feign for me is staged. You have always had your heart set on one person…and have always been rejected by him. It disappoints me to see that, even now, you are still trying to win him. Even if it means using the ones you love."

I sat looking at his stolid face. His black eyes seemed duller than they had before. He had seen right through my little scheme before I had even carried it out. And I began to feel both stupid and guilty for thinking I could fool Kakashi that way.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," I said, my voice quivering and my eyes watering, "I don't know why I even bother. I'm just wasting my time."

"Sakura," Kakashi said softly, "I understand completely how you feel. Your heart thought that it had found happiness, only to be crushed again. That is a difficult emotion to accept and I do not blame you for feeling a bit desperate. But one thing that you don't seem to realize is that you don't _need_ Sasuke Uchiha. You let him torture you for so long, but for the past two years, in his absence, did you not find real happiness? Were things not better than before?"

I thought for a long time about it. In the past two years, so much had changed. Without Sasuke, Ino and I could be friends. I didn't have a real job, but I had been helping out at the Yamanaka's flower shop on a fairly regular basis. I had friends and family, and overall I guess I had been happy. I was never involved in any real drama. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how right Kakashi was. Without Sasuke in my life, I could exist in a state of constant happiness. There was just one problem…

"How am I supposed to return to that?" I asked Kakashi, "After all that's happened now? How can things just go back to the way they were?"

"Well," Kakashi said seriously, "I suppose this is the hardest part of moving on. You have to let go of all the anger you feel towards those who have hurt you, and learn to live with or without them. Ultimately, it is your decision. You can endure these people who betray you, who put you down. Or you can forgive and forget them, surround yourself with the people who care about you."

He glanced at his watch, stood up, and placed some tip money on the table. Then he cupped his hand beneath my chin, and forced my eyes to meet his.

"My beautiful flower," he smiled, "you are still blooming in so many ways, always becoming more and more magnificent." I placed my hand on top of his and smiled back at him, the man I had grown to admire so much.

"Thank you, Kakashi," I said. He nodded, removed his hand, and turned to leave.

"I believe you have my number?" he said, before giving me one last smile and heading out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

I sat in the enormous lobby of the Hotel Kaza, my lap buried in papers and folders for work. That's right, _work_. It had been nearly two months since the ordeal with Sasuke and I certainly was better off than ever before.

After my little pep talk with Kakashi, I was able to land a job at a fashion magazine company as one of the junior editors. Not only did the job pay tremendously well, but I also found a lot of joy in what I did. Fashion had always been a passion of mine, and since I started working for the magazine, I'd met a lot of new people, even some famous designers.

Of course, what with the new job, my priorities had dramatically changed. My social life had taken a backseat. I hardly ever went out to parties or raves anymore, and when I did, it was for work. Occasionally, I'd see a familiar face at a cocktail or a benefit, but for the most part my friends and I didn't really run in the same circles anymore. I was quite a changed person.

I glanced at the grand clock in the hall. It was ten after nine already. Naruto had promised to be there at nine. I shrugged it off and reverted my attention to my papers, only to hear a familiar voice just moments later.

"So let me get this straight," he said, "it's Friday night, you've been working twelve to fourteen hour shifts everyday for the past month, and on your first night off what do you do? You sit in Konoha's finest hotel lobby, known for the finest liquors in town, and instead of a drink in your hand, you hold a highlighter?"

I turned to look at him, finding myself more excited than I had expected to be. Naruto stood, leaning against the wall by the gigantic fireplace, his hands in the pockets of his sports jacket. For someone who seemed to be in such a good mood, he looked a bit of a mess. His eyes seemed a little swollen, with dark circles beneath them and his hair was even less tidy than usual.

I quickly shifted my papers and stood up to greet him. He looked me over quickly, smiling with satisfaction. I had lost a bit of weight since he last saw me about a month ago. I saw him smirk at my fierce black cocktail dress. I stepped toward him and pulled him into a hug, smelling a combination of his after-shave and some cologne.

"You don't look half bad for an exhausted working woman," he said to me, grinning. His smile nearly brought tears to my eyes. I'd forgotten how good it was to see him smile. As I pulled away, I looked up into those baby blues of his. His eyes had always had a kind of magic to them. When he looked at me, I swear he knew everything about me, just in that one glance.

"Is everything all right?" he asked me, suddenly becoming serious. I tilted my head and looked at him curiously.

"I was just about to ask you that," I said, frowning. He smiled and glanced around the room quickly.

"I'll tell you about it inside," he muttered to me.

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Once we were seated and had ordered our drinks, I shed my coat and draped it on the back of my chair.

"Wow," Naruto said, ogling the generous cleavage on the square neckline of my dress, "how does all that fit in there?" I gave him a dirty look for a moment, but then just laughed it off.

"Isn't that a question you should save for Hinata?" I replied, sipping my usual, the apple martini. Naruto smiled hesitantly.

"Hinata's nothing like you," he muttered. I felt myself blush slightly. No matter how many times Naruto complimented me, I could never get used to it. Don't get me wrong, he was sweet and all, but I was always very aware that my best friend was hitting on me. My _taken_ best friend at that. Or so I thought…

"Actually," Naruto said, this time a little louder, "Hinata and I called it quits a little over a month ago." I nearly spit out my drink.

"What?" I said, "why? You guys seemed so perfect together." Naruto shrugged.

"It just wasn't working out," he said, "we talked a lot about it and realized that we didn't have much of a future together. I've actually heard that she's been seeing Shino a lot lately." I gaped at him. Shino had been a classmate of ours in high school and had never shown any interest in anyone.

"Oh, Naruto," I said, "I'm so sorry. This must be so hard for you. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well," he said, "I tried to call you a few times, but I could never get a hold of you. And I didn't want to be a bother."

"A bother?" I exclaimed, "god, Naruto, you could never be a bother to me. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve this." He shrugged again.

"It's not that big of a deal," he insisted, "I mean, yeah, I was pretty upset at first. But the more I started thinking about it, the more I realized that we did the right thing. It was going to happen at some point. It's better that it happened now and we're not really wasting any time on one another." I immediately thought of what Kakashi had said to me when he brought that up.

"Well, as long as you're okay," I said, "just promise me that if something like this happens again you'll tell me. I don't care if it's three in the morning and you have to climb through my bedroom window." Naruto laughed.

"Okay, Sakura, chill," he said, "I'll make sure to let you know sooner. Although, I'm kind of hoping that this _won't_ happen again." I sighed.

"Well, how have you been?" I asked, "other than…that. What else have you been up to?" He took a sip of his wine.

"Not too much," he said, "been spending a lot of time with the guys. Trying to forget about everything. And I'll be honest with you, I've consumed a pretty good amount of alcohol in the last month or so." I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"When will you learn?" I said, "but I guess I can't be too hard on you, considering the old Sakura probably would've done the same thing." Naruto raised an eyebrow, which reminded me eerily of Sasuke.

" 'The old Sakura'?" he said, "so who am I speaking to? The new Sakura?" I giggled and took another sip of my martini.

"Come on," I said, "I don't seem at all different to you? I've been trying so hard to move on from the old me. You know, grow up a little." Naruto nodded.

"Well," he said, holding his wine glass out to meet my martini glass, "I like the new Sakura."

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After dinner, Naruto and I returned my new Penthouse apartment. My parents had bought the place for me in celebration of my new job and because it was closer to work. The minute we stepped through the front door, he dropped my coat, which he'd been carrying and gaped at the entirety of my new home.

"Damn," he said, "I wish I had your income." I laughed and picked up my coat, along with his, and hung them up in the closet. I then hit a button on the stereo remote control and Billy Joel's voice echoed throughout the rooms softly.

"Anything to drink?" I called out to him as I headed into the kitchen, "I think I've got some Spanish wine in here somewhere."

"Sure," he said, following me, "so, a killer stereo system, Spanish wine, more rooms than I can count…you pretty much got your own bachelorette pad here, huh?" I laughed as I reached up for the wine glasses on the second highest shelf.

"Oh, here I got it," Naruto said. He stood behind me and reached up, grasping two glasses in his hand. I turned as he placed them on the counter next to me. I guess neither of us were really sure what to do. We stood there for a moment, his body pressed up against mine, his baby blues looking at me both with surprise and a strange kind of desire that I had never seen him use with Hinata. Simultaneously, we leaned in, though for a brief moment we stopped short and just stared at one another. Then his gaze fell to my lips until I felt them softly pressed to mine.

For what seemed like forever, we stood very still, until he pulled away for just a moment. I felt myself smile a little bit and then saw his perfect smile, as he leaned in yet again, this time kissing me more confidently. He was a better kisser than Sasuke!

I felt his hands grip my waist, as my arms circled his neck, pulling him closer to me. I don't know what it was about him, but all of a sudden it was like I couldn't get enough. He was more addictive than Sasuke and I definitely didn't want him to stop.

I think I must've moaned a little bit while his hands worked the straps of my dress because he pulled away suddenly, looking at me in shock.

"Sakura, I…I'm…we," he stammered, "we shouldn't have…I mean, _I_ shouldn't have…I'm so sorry." I sighed, pulling up the straps of my dress.

"It's okay," I told him, "it's partly my fault. I mean, I didn't stop you. I actually…I kind of…_liked_ it." I have no idea what made me say it, but somehow it felt like I had to. No girl could take a kiss like that and _not_ say anything about it.

"Really?" Naruto said hopefully, looking at me as if a little bit skeptical.

"Well, yeah," I said, rubbing my arm, "is that bad?" He smiled at me again.

"Seems like I finally did something right," he said, before kissing me all over again.

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Unfortunately, it didn't go much further that night. Naruto and I had a very long, detailed conversation about the consequences of our actions and tried to decide what to do next. After all, he had just gotten out of a relationship not too long ago, and I had a very time-consuming job. Not to mention that pursuing a relationship could stir up quite a bit of trouble with our friends, Sasuke being my ex _and_ Naruto's best friend.

In the end, we decided to give it a try. Naruto stayed until about one o'clock in the morning, then decided it would be best to leave. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before smiling at me and heading home, leaving me feeling like I was walking on air.

I don't know why I never noticed how attractive Naruto was. He had the same sexy build as the Calvin Klein underwear models and shaggy, gold tresses. His phenomenal smile and strong facial features made him look older too, but in a good way. And those beautiful blue eyes with the magic in them made me swoon every time he glanced my way. It amazed me that someone who I used to only regard as a friend could now be so much more than that.

I decided that the first person to tell would be Kakashi, being that he was the closest friend I had right now, other than Naruto. Under normal circumstances, I would have told Ino first, but she and I had ceased talking at all since the incident at Naruto's New Year's party.

So the morning following my dinner with Naruto, I dialed Kakashi's number on my cell. I was rather surprised to hear his friendly "hello". Kakashi rarely answered his phone.

"Kakashi?" I said. He seemed surprised to hear my voice as well.

"Sakura?" he said, "I was wondering when you would call. I certainly thought it would be sooner than this. How are you?"

"I'm great," I replied, "although, I have something important to tell you. It concerns Naruto." Kakashi cleared his throat.

"All right," he said, "I'm listening." I told him about my kiss with Naruto, how he and Hinata had broken up, how I hadn't seen or heard from Sasuke in nearly two months. Kakashi listened carefully to everything I had to say, then cleared his throat again when I had finished.

"Well," he said, "I must say I'm rather surprised. Naruto is last person I would've suspected you to, um, take interest in. However, he does seem like exactly what you need. Assuming, of course, that your intentions with him are pure."

I knew what he meant when he said that. And I couldn't really blame him for thinking that I would use Naruto just to make Sasuke jealous. After all, that had been what I'd planned to do with Kakashi, and he'd seen right through that.

"Kakashi," I said, "I know what you're thinking. But I swear to you, I could never do something like that Naruto. I really care about him, and I'll admit that this isn't what I expected either. But I'm happy, and I know that this is right. This is what I want."

"Well then," Kakashi said jubilantly, "if you're both happy, then I suppose I am as well." I could practically hear his smile, and I smiled right along with him.

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I frantically searched the confines of my wardrobe, looking for anything that wasn't black. Tonight was my first date with Naruto, and I had never expected to feel so nervous. I had gotten my nails done, taken a bath, fixed my hair and makeup multiple times, but still I had yet to find the perfect outfit. And he would be at my door in fifteen minutes.

I began tossing various articles of clothing over my shoulder, while clutching the top of my towel to my chest. Everything was nice, but nothing seemed perfect. Just as I was picking up a red dress that seemed like it could work, I heard the door open up and stuck my head out of the closet to see Naruto stepping out of the elevator and into the foyer, a bouquet of flowers in hand.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. I reached for the glass of champagne that I'd been sipping for the past twenty minutes to try to calm my nerves.

"Hello?" I heard Naruto call out, "anybody home?" I grabbed my glass and padded out into the foyer, still dressed in only a towel.

"Hey you," I smiled, "I'm sorry. I'm a little behind schedule. Can you give me just ten minutes to finish getting ready?"

"Sure," Naruto nodded, looking me over, "although, you know, I think you what you have on is perfect. Why bother changing?" I made a face at him and headed back into the closet, hastily pulling the red dress on, along with some heels.

"Champagne so early?" Naruto said from the hallway, "I thought you might at least wait until dinner."

"Please," I said, glancing at my reflection in the mirror, "this week has been hell. I needed a pick-me-up." I came out of the closet and turned, allowing him to zip up the back of my dress.

"I can tell," he said, "you seem pretty tense. Is everything all right?" I kissed him on the cheek and took the flowers he had been holding.

"It is now," I said, "thank you for the flowers."

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"So," Naruto said, after we had ordered, "how many people have you told?" We were sitting in Mikkos, one of Konoha's five star restaurants. It was incredible fancy, and known for its waiting list for reservations. The fact that we had gotten reservations at all was somewhat of a miracle. I set down my cosmopolitan and looked at him curiously.

"Told about what?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, jokingly, "a little thing called 'us'?" I laughed.

"You think I went and blabbed it to everyone in town, don't you?" He shrugged.

"You've got to admit that it's something you would do," he said.

"Maybe the old Sakura," I insisted, "but not the new Sakura. Actually, so far I've only really had time to tell one person, and that was Kakashi. Why? Who have you told?"

Naruto shrugged again and sipped his wine. I could tell he was also a little nervous tonight because he was already on his second glass of red and we'd just sat down only ten minutes ago.

"Well," he started, "I wasn't really planning on telling anyone for awhile. At least not until you were ready to. But it sort of came up when I was at the gym with Shikamaru and Chouji the other day. So you can bet that Temari knows about it."

"Maybe not," I said, "Shikamaru isn't really the type of guy to talk about stuff like that. And Chouji never has time to talk, considering he's always got something in his mouth." Naruto laughed at that.

"True," he said, hesitating a little, "but I mean, if you've already told Kakashi, should we start telling other people? Would it bother you?" I shrugged.

"I guess not," I replied, "but you have to consider that the second I tell someone, everyone else is going to know. And I mean everyone. If I tell Tenten, the whole town will know. If I tell Temari, then Tenten is sure to find out. The only other person I would really be likely to tell anything would be Lee, and you can bet he wouldn't take it too well." Naruto sat silently for a moment, pondering what I had said.

"I guess you're right," he said finally, "I could tell any one of the guys, and the whole world would know about it by the end of the day." He sat back in his chair.

"I guess it kind of sucks that our circle of friends is so close-knit," he said, bringing the wine glass to his lips. He was almost ready for his third glass, and I was starting to get a little concerned.

"Honey," I said, shifting in my seat, "are you all right with this? I mean, I know you just got out of a long-term relationship. Are you sure you're ready to just dive back into one again?" He looked at me very seriously for a moment, and then smiled.

"What did you just call me?" he said, starting to laugh. I thought back to what I had said.

"What?" I said, " 'honey'?" He laughed harder and I started to laugh a little too.

"Sakura," he said, "I've been waiting eight years to hear you call me that. Do you really think I'm about to give that up right now?"

I sat there for a moment, just looking at him. I couldn't believe that I had failed to see something so perfect when it was right in front of me. I felt tears forming in my eyes, while a smile tugged at my lips. It was in that moment that I truly believed this was right.


	5. Chapter 5

I awoke the next morning to find my face pressed against Naruto's warm, bare chest. I squinted at the light starting to come through the windows and sat up a little. Glancing around, I saw my dress on the floor, along with Naruto's clothes, including both of our underwear.

I quickly dashed into my closet and put on a pair of boyshort panties and a tank top. I then padded into the kitchen to make some coffee. A few minutes later, I heard a familiar ring tone. It was "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. I listened as Naruto rolled over and picked it up.

"Hello?" he said, "hey, man…Nah, I'm at Sakura's. Yeah…dinner last night…yeah…I'll tell you later. What's up?" I sipped my coffee and inched towards the door so that I could see his magnificent shoulders and back, as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Really?!" he said excitedly, "congrats, man! When did you do it? Really? That's crazy, I can't believe it…tomorrow? I don't know. I'll have to ask Sakura. Yeah, okay. Alright, later, man. Bye." He hung up and I stayed where I was, standing in the door frame, holding the two coffee mugs. I watched slyly as he pulled on his boxer briefs and undershirt.

"Good news?" I asked. He turned and smiled at me, then stood and approached slowly. I held out his mug of coffee and he took it and kissed my forehead.

"You'll never guess," he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Chouji got laid?" I proposed. Naruto laughed and squeezed my hand.

"Not exactly," he said, "that was Neji. He told me that he and Tenten are engaged." I nearly spit out my coffee.

"What?!" I said, placing the mug on the counter, "since when?"

"Since last night, apparently," Naruto replied with a grin, "actually, they're planning on having a big brunch party tomorrow morning in celebration. Do you think you'd be up for it?" My smile immediately disappeared.

A brunch with a few friends would have been fine, but I knew for a fact that Neji would invite Sasuke and Tenten would invite Ino. There was no doubt about it now. If I wanted to stay within my group of friends, I would have to get past the fact that the two people I wanted to see the least were going to become inescapable. Naruto seemed to see my disappointment and quickly tried to make up for it.

"Look, Sakura," he said in that soothing tone of his, "I understand that things are still a little painful for you. If you don't want to go, that's completely all right. You and I can go to brunch somewhere else, just the two of us…if you want." I sighed, my shoulders feeling a hundred times heavier than they had been just twenty minutes ago.

"No, we should go," I said reluctantly, "I mean, Neji and Tenten are our friends. We shouldn't not go just because of some issues I may have. It wouldn't be fair to you, and you've been so sweet lately. I think we should go." Naruto looked at me suspiciously, almost as if he didn't think such a statement could come from my lips.

"Only if you're sure," he said finally, his baby blues gazing at me lovingly.

"I'm sure," I said, forcing a small smile. I could already feel the knots growing in my stomach.

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I took a deep breath in and then exhaled, rolling down the window a bit. The drive to this place seemed to take and eternity and I was dying for some air. My chest felt so tight and my palms were even a little sweaty. _Gross_. I took some lotion from my Marc Jacobs bag and spread it onto my hands, rubbing it in.

"Honey, just relax," Naruto said, "you're making this a bigger deal than it has to be." Of course, I knew he was right. Sure Sasuke was going to be at this brunch, but did that mean I had to get all tense and uncomfortable and not have a good time?

Unfortunately for me, that's exactly what it meant. Even after everything he'd put me through, after all the anger I'd felt towards him, he could still make me feel inexplicably uptight just by glancing my way. Ino could glare at me all she wanted and that wouldn't faze me a bit. It was just the way Sasuke's eyes seemed to narrow every time we were in the same room. He always smiled at me like he had a secret to tell me, a really good secret.

When we finally pulled up to the front of Le Fleur Restaurant, I hastily straightened out my Miu Miu babydoll dress and pushed my Chloe sunglasses into my hair. Naruto handed the car keys to one of the valet doormen and came around the car, sliding his hand into mine. He looked unbelievably handsome today, although he wasn't really wearing anything too special. His blue button-up shirt was from Ralph Lauren, his khaki pants from Express, and his fancy, brown leather shoes were some Italian brand that I had never heard of. I sighed again and leaned in toward him, inhaling the wonderful scent of his cologne or aftershave or whatever that magnificent scent was. I still have no idea how I could have ever been so obsessed with Sasuke when this incredible man had been standing right in front of me the whole time.

Practically the second we entered the Restaurant, we could hear jubilant voices coming from the back. After telling the hostess which party we were with, she led us back to an open patio outside of the restaurant. The scene was completely stunning! The patio was filled with exotic plants and flowers, all overlooking the gorgeous blue bay beneath us. I had not even realized that we would be dining on the bay, but I sure was glad I'd come now.

"Hey, you two!" Tenten exclaimed, standing up from her chair and pulling each of us into a tight hug. She looked fabulous in her forest green halter sundress. I happened to catch a glance at her left hand and saw what was perhaps the biggest diamond I had ever seen. Looking at it more closely, I could see that it was square-cut, with a smaller diamond on either side and on a gold band. I had to give Neji credit. He had damn good taste in jewelry.

"Come, sit down!" Tenten said, with a smile, "we were just about to order." I felt Naruto's hand on my lower back, as he helped me to my seat, then took his own seat right next to me. I tried not to appear too bold as I glanced around our table. Neji and Tenten had invited everyone! There was not one unfamiliar face as I looked around, rather _too many_ familiar faces. On my left was Shikamaru, next to him Temari, then Hinata and Shino. Neji sat at the head of the table, to his left was Tenten, and then Chouji. I tried to avert my eyes, for after Chouji there was Ino, and to her left was Sasuke, dressed in his usual black Armani blazer. Just as he glanced my way, I moved my eyes to the next person, who I was probably most excited to see: Rock Lee.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Lee nodded to me, "you're looking lovely." I found myself actually beaming at him. I'd forgotten how much I would miss Lee. Sure, he could be a bit of a pest at times, but he always had a way of making me seem like a million bucks, even if I didn't feel like it. A second later, however, I was wishing Lee hadn't said anything.

"Sakura, you look so thin!" Tenten said, "have you been dieting all this time?"

"I heard you flew out to the Bahamas with your personal trainer," Temari remarked, "looks like it paid off." I looked at both of them in surprise.

"I wish," I said, smoothly, "but no Bahamas for me, just lots and lots of hard work. And I don't mean in a gym. I got a job at Bella as one of their junior editors."

"_You_ got a job?" Neji joked. Hinata smiled at me, then caught Naruto's glance and quickly averted her eyes the same way I had with Sasuke.

"You see," Shikamaru said, "this is exactly what I was talking about. How are marriages supposed to work when you have these high-corporate women out there in the working world? Is a man supposed to respect the fact that his wife is stealing his job?"

Immediately the focus returned to previous conversations and I was able to relax a little. I sipped my Orange Julius and leaned back in my seat, enjoying the soft blue of the bay. I felt Naruto's hand on my knee at one point, and turned to see him smiling at me. He leaned forward and whispered to me, "Well done".

As the brunch dragged on, and it started to get warmer outside, Tenten suggested that we go indoors for some drinks. I suddenly felt lucky that Naruto was driving today. I could have all the alcohol I wanted and then maybe this whole thing would hardly be a memory to me tomorrow.

"Sakura," Hinata said softly to me, "congratulations on the job. You know how Shikamaru is about 'rights'. Just don't listen to him. You should be proud of yourself."

What happened next was completely a result of the four Mohitos I'd downed in last forty-five minutes. I swear I didn't mean to say it, but somehow the words just fell from my lips.

"Thanks, Hinata," I said rather loudly, "and listen, I know you're with Shino now, but I just thought I should tell you that you have great taste. Naruto is absolutely _incredible_ in bed."

The entire room seemed to come to screeching halt for a moment. I must've said it louder than I'd meant to because every single person from our party turned and stared at me. Hinata just gaped at me, an expression of complete disbelief on her face. Realizing what I had just done, I suddenly felt like I was going to faint. I became very light-headed and had to hold on to the back of a chair to help keep my balance in my Manolo Blahnik round-toe pumps.

The room seemed like it was spinning, and I could still feel all eyes on me. It was a bit like drowning. My body felt so heavy, so weighed down, and I just kept sinking to the floor, the back of my neck starting to get sticky with sweat.

Thankfully, someone put their hands beneath my arms and lifted me up like a child, pulling me to my feet. I looked into his baby blue eyes and smiled slightly. He said something to the others, but to me his voice sounded fuzzy. I felt him tug on my hand and then try to lead me somewhere. I didn't resist him, but followed him closely, my eyes starting to close until finally, I was in the dark.

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A voice was drifting into my ears. It sounded like an angel and, for a brief moment, I wondered if I'd died. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I remembered every detail somehow. I remembered Hinata's expression, the smell of Naruto's cologne, and suddenly that same sinking feeling returned. I opened my eyes.

He was standing by the fireplace, one hand on the mantle, the other holding a cell phone to his ear. The room was dim with the light of the glowing fire, and I was thankful all of a sudden, realizing how cold I actually felt.

"I know," he was saying to whoever was on the phone, "well, she's been asleep all day, except for the few times she threw up…No, I don't think it was that…don't worry about it, man, I'll make sure she's all right. Just tell Tenten we're sorry about what happened…okay…bye." He turned and dropped the phone on the coffee table and I smiled up at him, holding a blanket over myself. He looked at me with worry and sat down on the edge of the couch where I lay.

"Hi, you," I said, reaching for his hand, "is everyone okay?" Naruto just stared at me curiously for a minute, rubbing my hand with his thumb.

"Yes," he said, softly, "everyone's fine. How are you feeling?" I sat up a little.

"Old," I laughed, "like I'm about fifty or something." I rubbed my forehead with the back of my hand, wiping off a bit of sweat in the process. I realized just how sticky with sweat I was and stood up carefully. I was still wearing the babydoll dress, which would definitely have to be sent out for dry cleaning now. I reached for the hem and pulled it straight up over my head, tossing it aside. I now wore nothing but my lacy red bra and panties.

"Neji just called," Naruto said. He stood and went into the kitchen for a moment, then came back out with a glass of Alka-Seltzer and some aspirin.

"So I heard," I said, plopping back onto the couch, "everyone must hate me now." Naruto handed me the glass and two of the little pills, which I downed quickly.

"Nobody hates you," he said, sitting down next to me, "they're just a little worried. No one realized that you had that much to drink." I groaned.

"Four Mojitos and two Orange Julius," I said, "I didn't think that would be enough to do anything." Naruto shook his head.

"That's just it," he said, "I didn't think so either. There's not enough alcohol in either of those drinks to get you _that_ drunk. I think this has to do with your work." I looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it does keep you pretty busy," he said, "and I know you've been pretty stressed out lately. Maybe you should take a little time off. We could leave town for a week or two and by the time we get back everyone will have forgotten all of this."

I smiled at him, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. I couldn't imagine a better boyfriend than Naruto. There was no way there was anyone nicer than he was on the planet.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" I said, slyly.


	6. Chapter 6

Only three days later, I found myself in complete and utter bliss. This was by far the best vacation I had ever had. In fact, I doubted that my honeymoon could ever compare to this.

Naruto had surprised me with plane tickets to Jamaica, where we would be spending ten days in our own private little villa overlooking the ocean! Everything was simply exquisite. Our plane tickets were first class, so that we could sip champagne and watch movies, or just cuddle up and go to sleep. Though it was a fairly long flight, it was completely worth it. When we arrived it was about two o'clock in the afternoon and there was a chauffeur at the airport, waiting to take us to our villa.

Our chauffeur was a tall, Jamaican man with short black dreadlocks. On his slick, black suit he wore a name-tag that read "Takeru". He greeted us with a smile and loaded our bags into the car.

"Wait until you see the villa," Naruto said to me, once we were all in the car.

"Ah, the lady hasn't seen it yet?" Takeru said, starting up the engine.

"No, it's sort of a surprise," Naruto replied. Takeru smiled, allowing us to see that one of his teeth was gold.

"Well then," he said in his thick Jamaican accent, "you're in for quite a surprise."

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Boy, was I ever! The villa was absolutely gorgeous! It was easily ten times more elegant than any of the mansions in Konoha. The outside was white stucco and it had four large balconies. The master bedroom was a haven in itself. The bed was enormous and soft as a feather and there was even a little couch in there. The master bathroom had a large bath, complete with little jets and there was the shower. But perhaps the best part was the large patio in the back, which was also a balcony. There was a long dining table out there and our private pool! Needless to say, I was in my glory.

After we said goodbye to Takeru, I hurried into the bathroom to take a nice, long coconut bubble bath, while Naruto started putting our clothes away. He then made reservations for us at a nice restaurant on the mainland.

After my bubble bath, I donned my teal Chanel cocktail dress and diamond Dior earrings. I quickly applied some make-up and pulled my hair back into a half ponytail. Naruto was already waiting by the door when I came downstairs. He looked amazingly sexy in his black tux. He grinned at me, his eyes scanning my entire outfit, and held his hand out to me.

"Damn," he said, "I'm glad I wore the tux instead of the blazer. You look like you're off to a wedding." I kissed him softly on the lips.

"Well, you know what they do on wedding nights," I whispered to him. I squeezed his hand before walking past him and outside toward the car. I swished my hips a little as I went, then turned and looked over my shoulder to make sure he got the message. He practically darted down toward the car to open the door for me.

"Let's make this quick," he said, taking the driver's seat, "something tells me we're in for a long night."

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The spas in Jamaica were absolutely heavenly. I went in for a Brazilian bikini wax, a massage, and a facial only to find myself in a fairytale-like dream. In the main room was a large jacuzzi with a waterfall. The floor was made from a deep green tile and there were towels stored everywhere. To the left of the main room were two doors: the steam room and the sauna. Both were dimly lit and smelled of sandalwood and incense. The various doors on the right were where the different treatments were carried out.

It was after my morning massage that I was able to bask in the exotic steam room. I entered cautiously, the heavy fumes and hot air flushing my face. Gripping only a towel around myself, I seated myself in the corner, leaned against the wall, which was surprisingly cool, and closed my eyes.

"Well," said a smooth, manly voice from behind the steam, "it seems that my little secret getaway spot is not such a secret anymore." I opened my eyes immediately, searching for the owner of the familiar voice. When I squinted, I could just barely make out a tall figure on the other side of the steam room. He walked towards me and as he drew closer I began to see the silvery sheen of his full head of hair.

"Kakashi?" I said, tugging up on my towel. I was now very aware of how scantily clad I was compared to him. He stood before me in a large, white robe while my barely-there little towel was already riding up from the way I was sitting on it.

"I must say," he smiled, "it is very pleasing to see a familiar face." He sat down next to me. Little beads of sweat were clinging to his chiseled jaw.

"I didn't know that you vacationed here," I remarked. Kakashi nodded, observing my face very carefully.

"Yes," he replied, "well, it has been my bit of refuge for the past three or four years and I had intended to keep it that way. God knows that the last thing this pleasant little island needs is Konoha's famous uptight, immature spoiled brats ruining the tranquility." I felt a little uncomfortable by that comment. After all, I was one of those spoiled brats. Well, at least, I used to be.

"Believe me," I told him, "I'm not about to let out this little secret." Kakashi gave a small smile and leaned forward a little. Suddenly, he reached out his hand and cupped the side of my face, still staring at me as though he was trying to count the freckles on my nose.

"My, my," he muttered, "could this be my Sakura? My little cherry blossom?" I bit my lip and avoided his eyes until finally Kakashi withdrew his hand and just gazed at me in wonder.

"You have transformed, Sakura," he said, an air of pride in his voice, "I see a great deal of strength in you now." I grinned at him foolishly. Hey, who doesn't like to be complimented?

"Thanks," I said. I was pretty sure I was blushing at least a little. Kakashi only laughed and leaned back against the wall.

"Don't thank me," he said, "that strength has always been there."

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I walked into the foyer of the large, luxurious villa and dropped my purse onto the counter. I could hear faint cheers coming from upstairs and the voices of two announcers. Quickly, I dashed upstairs to the TV room where Naruto was watching a soccer game. _Men_. Even when on a vacation as great as this, they have to have their stupid sports.

"Hey you," I said, plopping onto the plushy couch next to him. I leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then pulled away slightly to see his reaction.

"Well, hello," he said laughing, "I don't know what they did to you, but you smell incredible!" I laughed myself and gazed at his profile.

"You don't think I look different?" I asked, running my manicured hands through my freshly cut hair. I had asked them to add some more layers and those pretty side-swept bangs. I had to admit they did a great job. The look certainly made me look more grown up. Naruto, however, seemed not to notice the new haircut at all. Instead, he only turned his head to one side, his eyes glancing over me, and then shook his head.

"You look…" he paused, searching for the right word, "like you're glowing." My face fell a little bit and I shrunk into the sofa. It wasn't exactly the answer I'd been expecting.

"Well," I said, trying to remain positive, "I did get a massage. They always use a lot of oils and creams for that. But I've also been out in the sun a lot lately. Maybe I'm starting to tan a little. Anyway, what about, oh, I don't know, my hair?" He looked at it carefully. I half expected him to tell me that it looked shiny or something, but he surprised me and ran his own hand through it, pushing my bangs behind my left ear.

"I like it," he smiled, "you look good with bangs." I gave him another kiss, this time on the lips, and snuggled up to him to rest my head on his shoulder.

"What are we watching?" I asked. Naruto leaned down and kissed the top of my head, taking my hand in his simultaneously.

"Brazil versus Peru," he responded, "it's a close game." For awhile we were silent, simply basking in each other's company, until Naruto broke that silence.

"Oh, I just remembered," he said, "you left your phone here while you were out and it rang a few times at around noon. I didn't look to see who it was but I think they left a message."

"Oh," I said, hoping it wasn't concerning work, "thanks." I hurried back downstairs and picked my cell phone up off of the kitchen counter. There was a message waiting all right. I quickly dialed for my voice mail, curious about who could've called.

"Hey Sakura, it's me," said Tenten's voice, "listen, I just wanted to call and see how you were doing after what happened at brunch. We're not mad at you or anything. We were just worried about your health. So anyway, if you get this, give me a call when you get a chance. Oh, and also, I'm sure you're a little upset about the wedding and everything, but try not to let it get to you. If you ever need to talk, just call. Okay, so I'll talk to you soon I guess. Hope you're feeling better. Bye!"

I listened to the message a second time, trying to understand what Tenten meant about the wedding. Why would I be upset about it? I was one of her best friends, of course I was happy for her! I shrugged it off, figuring that I would call her back when Naruto and I returned to Konoha. We had not told anyone that we were leaving so that we wouldn't be disturbed. Our flight back was in just a few days and I'm sure that any of Tenten's concerns could wait until then. Whatever those concerns were, anyway.

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Being back in Konoha was turning out to be surprisingly nice. I didn't really think I would miss the angry streets, bustling traffic, or my less-than-friendly acquaintances, but the second Naruto dropped me off at my flat, I felt so emotionally at ease.

The first thing I did was shower, which I desperately needed after having been on a plane the whole day. As I slipped into a pale green halter top to go with my white, knee-length skirt, I heard my cell phone ringing from the living room.

"Hey sexy," I answered it, not looking at the caller ID. I had assumed it would be Naruto, since he was trying to make dinner plans for us this evening.

"Well, hello to you too," said Tenten, "my, you're feeling your wheaties today, aren't you?" I'm pretty sure I was blushing profusely.

"Oh, hey," I said, trying to sound casual, "um, yeah, you know, a little vacation works wonders." I heard Tenten gasp on the other line.

"Vacation? Where?" she asked, "what the hell have you been up to lately? Now you're just taking random vacations and not inviting me?" I laughed, observing my neatly manicured fingernails. The color was a deep red and was called 'Smokin' in Havana'. Where on earth do they come up with these names?

"No, sweetie," I told Tenten sweetly, "I just took a little vacation with the boyfriend if that's quite all right with you. Didn't know that I had to invite you _everywhere_."

"Please," Tenten said, "I was just kidding. Anyway, now that you're feeling better, do you want to come out for lunch with us at Café Bleu?" I bit my lip hesitantly. I still wasn't really sure I was all that comfortable facing everyone again after my little mishap at Tenten's last little soiree. But I knew I would have to face the music sometime.

"Who exactly is 'us'?" I asked, before giving her my answer.

"Well," she replied, "Ino's been insufferably busy lately so I doubt she'll be able to make it. And I think Hinata had to work today. So it'll probably just come down to you, me, and Temari. Sound good?" I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I wouldn't have to feel nervous in the company of Ino, my latest arch-nemesis, or Hinata, who I'm sure could never forgive me for making a total fool out of the both of us at last brunch.

"Okay," I said, "I'm in!" After I hung up with Tenten, I skipped over to my small vanity to get ready for our little outing. I suddenly felt lighter than air. Maybe it was all the sun I'd had in the past two weeks, or maybe Tenten was right and I really was feeling my wheaties. Whatever it was, I didn't exactly want it to go away just yet.

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"Hello, ladies!" I said, pulling both Tenten and Temari into a hug. I sat down in our quiet, corner booth at Café Bleu, still beaming at both of them.

"Wow," Tenten said, letting her eyes absorb me, "you look incredible! What the hell happened to you?" Temari raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"You look great, Sakura," she added, "look how freaking tan you are!" I smiled mischievously and leaned in a little, as if to tell them each a secret.

"I brought presents for everyone!" I said excitedly, as I pulled two baby pink collared tees from my white Prada bag. I handed one to each of them, watching their eyes read the shirts curiously.

" 'I got lei'd in Kingston, Jamaica'," Temari read the print on the shirts. Tenten burst out into laughter, while Temari looked less than amused.

"How cute," she said sarcastically, "but I doubt this will even fit me anymore. I've been gaining weight like there's no tomorrow." I hated to admit it, but Temari was right. She had gained at least twenty pounds and it seemed that most of it had gone straight to her breasts, hips, and stomach. Tenten frowned, observing Temari's cleavage.

"Oh, please," she said, "it's barely noticeable. And besides, at least you've gotten bigger on top. Last time I checked that wasn't a bad thing." Temari rolled her eyes.

"As if that's really all that important," she scoffed, "you're just saying that because you can afford to put on a couple of pounds." Tenten folded her arms over herself self-consciously. Almost everyone knew that Tenten had an eating disorder and had for years. On a few horrific occasions, the girls and I had tried to convince her to go to rehab or at least therapy, but Tenten was incredibly stubborn and had refused to let something like that ruin her reputation.

"So, Sakura," Tenten said, quickly changing the subject, "has Ino asked you yet?" I sat in honest confusion for a few moments, waiting for Tenten to elaborate a little.

"Asked me what?" I said. Tenten twirled the large engagement ring on her finger.

"You know," she continued, "to be her maid of honor. I know you guys aren't as tight as you used to be, but we all kind of figured that of all people she would ask you. After all, the wedding is only two months away. She has to pick someone before it's too late." Temari leaned back, crossing her legs and taking a sip of her Bay Breeze.

"Why don't they just freaking elope?" she said, wrinkling her nose a little, "it doesn't make any sense to try and plan a wedding in less than three months. You know she's just going to have a mental breakdown from the pressure." Tenten shrugged.

"I don't understand it either," she said faintly, "when I got my invitation, I figured for one vain moment that they were just trying to get it over with quick so that they could say they beat Neji and I down the aisle. But I suppose she's just figuring that it's better to have it done before Christmas. After all, that's the best time to honeymoon anyway."

I sat in complete disbelief. Ino was getting married? That couldn't be possible! I mean, the last person I had seen Ino with had been Sasuke, but surely…

Suddenly, the room was out of focus, spinning slowly, just as it had at Neji and Tenten's engagement brunch. I felt like I was going to spit up my chardonnay or fall out of my chair or even vomit. This couldn't be happening! Ino and Sasuke couldn't be getting married! Sasuke didn't even _like_ Ino, let alone _love_ her! How could they _do_ this to me!

Before the tears could come streaming down my face like Niagara Falls, I snatched up my Prada bag, thrust my chair out from under me, and stomped towards the door, nearly knocking over the waiter as I went. I could hear Tenten and Temari calling after me, but I didn't even look back once. All the blood in my body seemed like fiery, hot lava about to gush out of me at any moment.

I'm not quite sure how I made it back to my apartment, but the first thing I did when I got there was go through my mail until I came upon a Tiffany blue envelope. I ripped it open, the tears staining my face and ruining my mascara. With a shaking hand, I held the letter out in front of me and read the loopy, cursive handwriting.

_Dear Ms. Haruno, _

_We are happy to announce our engagement and would like to inform you that you are cordially invited to attend the Yamanaka-Uchiha Wedding on December Twelfth at the Kaza hotel! After the ceremony, there will be a reception held in the lobby of the hotel and rooms will be offered for those who would also like to stay for brunch the following morning. Please R.S.V.P. by November Nineteenth. _

_Sincerely Yours, _

_Miss Ino Yamanaka _

_Mr. Sasuke Uchiha_

I read the letter twice, almost hoping that the words would rearrange themselves and form something else, anything else. My tears started to fall onto the paper, wetting and distorting some of the words. In a short fit of rage, I ran into the kitchen, thrust the paper into the garbage disposal in the sink, and turned it on, listening as the letter was torn to shreds.

I sobbed as I continued to stare at the blue envelope, which lay helpless on the floor. The last thing I remember was sitting on my kitchen floor, leaning against the cabinets and crying into my hands.


	7. Chapter 7

I awoke to the sound of someone knocking on my door. My face was pressed against the cold, tile floor of the kitchen. As I sat up, I felt a sharp pain in my arm from where I had been laying on it. I realized that after spending more than an hour sobbing, I must've collapsed from exhaustion.

"Sakura?!" someone was yelling from behind the door, "could you let me in? I forgot my key!" I recognized the voice immediately and rushed to answer the door.

Naruto stood before me dressed in a lime green Lacoste polo shirt, khaki Brooks Brothers dress pants, and a killer black leather jacket. He held a bouquet of roses in his hand, and his face fell the minute he saw me.

"Honey," he said, his eyes wide with concern, "are you all right?" I instantly threw myself upon him, hugging my tear-and-mascara-stained face to his chest. Naruto held me for a few moments, then somehow managed to move us inside the apartment, and seated me on the couch.

I suddenly realized how repulsive I must've looked to him with my makeup all smudged and my hair completely uncombed. I lifted my hands to my face to try and fix it, but Naruto took my hands and placed them back in my lap. We sat silently for a moment, as I tried to recompose myself a little.

"Sweetheart," Naruto said finally, pushing my bangs behind my ear, "is this about the wedding?" I looked at him with startled green eyes. He _knew_?

"How do you-?" I started, before Naruto interrupted me.

"I got an invitation as well," he said, softly, "it must have come while we were on vacation. I figured it would bother you, but I didn't think it would upset you this much." I stared at him for another moment, then gazed at the fireplace.

Why _did_ I care so much? It's not like I'd had much of a relationship with Sasuke or Ino in the past two months or so. I hadn't spoken to Sasuke at all since Naruto's party. It's not like I wasn't over everything that had happened between us—you know, him using me for sex and then cheating on me with my best friend. Besides, I was much better off now, wasn't I? I mean, Naruto was a way better boyfriend than I could've ever asked for. And I was truly, genuinely happy with him. So why did I care that Sasuke and Ino were getting married? They had gone their way and I had gone mine, right? We had all moved on and forgotten about the past, _right_?

I slumped down to the floor, my back propped up by the sofa. As much as I hated to admit it, nothing had been forgotten. I was still every bit as hurt by what had happened as I was the minute I saw the two of them together. I had tried to keep myself busy, to reinvent myself as a person to try and move on. And it had seemed that for awhile I had. I loved my job at the magazine, and I loved every minute that I got to spend with Naruto. I had finally gotten to feel like a real person instead of just a spoiled little princess, who was only concerned with her own foolish needs. But, apparently, it just wasn't enough.

Sasuke had desecrated my heart, stomped all over it, taken it for granted. And what's worse is that he _cheated_! And with my _best friend_, who also happened to be my _worst enemy_! She too had cheated because she'd let him kiss her. No matter how much alcohol she had consumed that night, it was still a major offense in my book. No wonder I was so upset. After all that they had already done, now they had the balls to go and get married _and_ invite me to their wedding so that they could smite me with their big, fancy cake, and their limousine, and their honeymoon to Thailand or wherever!

I could feel my chest heaving just thinking about it, and could feel myself entering that rage again. I thought that the vacation would help, but suddenly it seemed like I hadn't left at all. It was like those two fantastic weeks of heaven had never happened and I was merely pushed back into the same, brutish hell as before!

"I'm sorry, Naruto," I said, tears rimming my eyes again, "this is just too much! I can't let this happen!" Naruto looked down at me, his usually beautiful blue eyes like that of a deer in headlights, full of fear.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frantically, "what are you talking about?" I stood up and walked over to the fireplace, my eyes scanning the row of photographs on the mantle. The one in the center was of Naruto and I from our first date. Apparently, we had gone to a photo booth and taken some pictures, though neither of us could really remember that part of the date. Anyway, I had had the photo blown up and framed and then placed it on the mantle.

I picked up the picture, one of my tears falling onto the glass, and held it out to Naruto. He stood slowly and approached me, but did not take it from me.

"Sakura," he said, his voice sounding weaker than it had, "what are you doing? You aren't seriously thinking about breaking this off just because of them, are you? Do you really think that there is anything you can do about it now?"

"Naruto," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "please, just take it." Naruto looked at me even more fearfully, and slowly backed away.

"No," he said, "Sakura, please, think about this! You can't just throw this away! I mean…I love you." In a single instant, I let the anger consume me. Before either of us could blink, I had flung the picture across the room. It hit the wood floor in the foyer and the glass cover smashed to pieces.

"You don't understand!" I was yelling, "you don't know what it was like! My whole life changed because of him, my whole purpose! I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't be with you until I'm finished with him. I can't let this happen! They can't be engaged!" My words had been practically unintelligible due to the fact that I was crying so hard and my heart was pounding in my chest.

Poor Naruto just stood there, his mouth agape, hardly able to understand what was happening. His face was red, but he stood tall and unflinching.

"Sakura," he said, his voice sounding more calm, "there is nothing you can do. You can't control other people or their lives. What happened with you and Sasuke is part of the past. You've got to let it go. Otherwise, you're right, and you and I will never be able to continue a relationship." I suddenly stopped crying.

I looked across the room at him. He seemed so strong and yet soft at the same time. His blue eyes looked back at me, no longer possessing the same light that they normally had. I realized then that I had really hurt him.

Of course, I hadn't really meant what I'd said about breaking up with him. I was just so upset, so angry. I hadn't known what else to do. And obviously there was nothing I could do about Sasuke and Ino's wedding. I couldn't stop either of them from doing anything. Who was I kidding?

"Naruto," I said softly, wiping away the tears, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that. I just got so mad about everything. Please, don't take it the wrong way." Naruto looked at me for a long moment, his eyes as dull as ever and his lips curving into a frown.

"It's obvious to me now," he began, his voice very notably deep, "that you're still hung up on this guy. Despite this new image you've got, despite the new job and the new attitude, you're still the same old Sakura who's completely obsessed with Sasuke. You may try to hide it by lying to yourself and everyone else, but it's still there, no matter how much you try to suffocate it." Naruto shook his head in disappointment.

"I don't want to be with you if you're going to be like this," he said bluntly, "until you're over this thing with Ino and Sasuke, we don't have a relationship at all."

I felt my body quivering as he turned and headed for the front door, stepping over the glass in the foyer. Just as I was about to call out to him, my stomach churned and instead I found myself running for the bathroom as my breakfast found its way up my throat. This was not at all how I had intended my first day back in Konoha to go.

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I think it's true what they say about 'misery loves company' because lately it seemed like misery enjoyed the heck out of my company. It had been about a week since Naruto broke up with me and I was doing worse than ever before. I spent every morning weeping until my eyes finally dried up of all their tears at around one o'clock in the afternoon. Then I would eat chocolates in front of the TV and watch daytime soap operas until about five. When I wasn't doing that, I was usually on the computer doing some online shopping to try and make myself feel better or throwing up in the toilet. As if things couldn't be worse, I'd apparently picked up some kind of stomach bug and was spending an awful lot of time hunched over the toilet, retching into it. On top of that, I was gaining weight rapidly, despite my extremely high metabolism.

On the whole, I was a complete wreck. I was always checking my messages on my phone or checking my email to see if Naruto had called or sent anything. But he never did. Instead I was receiving messages from Tenten about her wedding and emails from Lee, who liked to send me different recipes that I never actually tried. The only other person who kept in touch was Kiba, who I'm sure only wanted to get into my pants as he was always inviting me to his exclusive loft or asking to buy me a drink.

I was quite surprised one day when I heard a knock on the front door. I stumbled my way to the door, a glass of wine in hand, wearing one of Naruto's shirts that he'd left at my apartment and a pair of bikini-style underwear. Without looking through the peephole, I opened the door to see that familiar full head of silver hair.

"Sakura," he smiled, clearly blind to the fact that I was barely wearing clothing and already buzzed at two-thirty in the afternoon, "I was hoping you'd be home. I was just in the neighborhood and hadn't seen or heard from you since Jamaica, so I thought I'd drop by. You don't mind, do you?" I shook my head and let Kakashi in, closing the door behind us.

Kakashi quickly made himself comfortable, stretching out on the couch after having poured himself some of the red wine I was drinking. He glanced at the muted television on which As the World Turns was playing.

"Well," he said, taking a long sip from his glass, "I see you've discovered the wonders of daytime TV. Some great programming they've got, huh?" I sat down on the couch next to him indian-style, completely unfazed by the fact that I was only in my underwear and a man's button-up.

"I like this show," I retorted, "it makes me feel like my life isn't so bad."

"Yes," Kakashi said, shifting his weight, "I had heard that things weren't going so well for you." I looked at him curiously.

"Naruto told you what happened," I accused. Kakashi nodded, taking another sip of wine.

"Well, that," he admitted, "and I received an invitation to the wedding. That alone was enough to tell me that you would be upset. So…how _are_ things going for you?"

"Kakashi," I said, looking at him sarcastically, "I'm sitting here with a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and watching As the World Turns in my ex-boyfriend's shirt. How do you _think_ things are going?" Kakashi actually laughed.

"All right, all right," he said, "no need to be sassy. So you're upset about Sasuke, what else is new?" I sighed, rubbing my finger around the edge of the wine glass.

"It's just," I started, "I thought I was over it. Well, I mean, I thought I was over _him_. But then at Neji and Tenten's engagement brunch, I couldn't even look at him and I hoped that maybe that was just because I hadn't seen any of those people in so long. I don't know. Things have just been so messed up lately. I made a total fool of myself at the brunch, got completely wasted somehow. Then Naruto suggests that vacation to Kingston and everything seemed like it was going to be different, but the minute I get back here, everything just falls to pieces." I picked up the Merit carton on the coffee table and lit one up, taking a nice long drag.

"Did everything fall to pieces, or did you let it fall to pieces?" Kakashi asked, eyeing me carefully. I looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Kakashi sighed and leaned forward, placing his wine glass on the coaster on the coffee table.

"Sakura," he said, cautiously, "I don't mean to offend you by saying this, but I think your problem is mostly self-inflicted."

"What the hell do you mean?" I asked, sounding more frustrated, "I wasn't the one who cheated and screwed everything up!" Kakashi now leaned back into the plushy sofa, his arms raised back behind his head.

"No," he said pensively, "in that case, you're right. That was an offense against you. But think about what I told you that night at the café. You can continue to let these people control you, to let them still have a strong emotional affect on you, or you can let it go and start living without that kind of negative influence. Have you not been happier these past few months?"

'Yes' was my immediate answer. As much as I didn't want to believe him, I knew that Kakashi was right. Both he and Naruto had told me the exact same thing: that I needed to move on. Sasuke was with Ino now and there was nothing I could do about that, no matter how much I wanted to. Besides, I had been much better off without them. I'd gotten a job, a new boyfriend, and my life was finally together and back on track. I couldn't let them ruin all that for me again. But unfortunately it seemed like I already had.

"But what am I supposed to do about Naruto?" I asked, uncrossing my legs and perching myself on my knees, "he's still not exactly thrilled about the way I treated him."

Kakashi stood up, stretched out his arms and headed for the door. I followed him, setting down my wine glass as well.

"I'm sure he'll come around," Kakashi said, "just take some time to recollect yourselves and you'll get through it together." He quickly kissed me on the forehead, as had become his routine, and opened the door.

"I'm sure things will turn out better for you in the end," he said, "after all, it's the woman who's good at heart who takes home the real prize." With that, he disappeared behind the door, leaving me with a lighter, more at peace feeling…along with some queasiness…

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**A/N: Sorry about the length of this one. All of the chapters up to this point were pre-written, which is why I've been able to update so frequently. I would've kept this chapter longer, but it would have left a really nasty cliffhanger in a very odd place. I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. Keep reading, reviewing, and writing.**


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